ODI cricket, as we all know, is all about partnerships, and the longer the partnerships are, the higher the total a team can achieve. While a good opening stand is something a team hopes for, the 2nd wicket stand is also crucial for their eventual score. This is because most teams usually have their best batters in the top 3, and the 2nd wicket is where a team’s best 2 batters invariably play.
When a team loses its first wicket early in an ODI, the 2nd wicket partnership becomes crucial in stabilising the innings. It allows the team to recover from the initial setback and prevents further quick wickets, ensuring that the innings doesn’t collapse. Also, this duo lays the foundation for a competitive total by consolidating innings and gradually accelerating the scoring rate, enabling the team to set or chase down a challenging target.
This shows how crucial this stand is to the team’s chances, and we will see the top 10 highest 2nd wicket partnership in ODI cricket history.
Highest 2nd Wicket Partnership in ODI
| Players | Runs | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels (WI) | 372 | Zimbabwe | Canberra | 24 Feb 2015 |
| Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid (IND) | 331 | New Zealand | Hyderabad | 8 Nov 1999 |
| Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly (IND) | 318 | Sri Lanka | Taunton | 26 May 1999 |
| Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli (IND) | 290 | Bangladesh | Chattogram | 10 Dec 2022 |
| Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra (NZ) | 273* | England | Ahmedabad | 5 Oct 2023 |
| Aamer Sohail, Inzamam-ul-Haq (PAK) | 263 | New Zealand | Sharjah | 20 Apr 1994 |
| David Warner, Steve Smith (AUS) | 260 | Afghanistan | Perth | 4 Mar 2015 |
| Saleem Elahi, Abdul Razzaq (PAK) | 257 | South Africa | Gqeberha | 11 Dec 2002 |
| Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 252* | England | Centurion | 2 Oct 2009 |
| Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott (ENG) | 250 | Bangladesh | Birmingham | 12 Jul 2010 |
Key insights from the above stats
3: The number of pairs from India in this top 10 highest 2nd wicket partnerships in ODI cricket. They are closely followed by Australia and Pakistan, which have recorded 2 partnerships each.
372: The highest 2nd wicket partnership in the history of ODI cricket and it came from the bat of the swashbuckling West Indies duo, Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, in a World Cup group stage game against Zimbabwe in 2015. This was not just the highest 2nd wicket partnership but the overall highest for any wicket in ODI cricket history. This match is best remembered for Chris Gayle making the ODI Cricket World Cup’s maiden double century.
331: As mentioned, there are 3 Indian pairs on the list, and the first one is the iconic duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, who made only the 2nd ever 300-run partnership in ODIs in a game at Hyderabad against New Zealand. For a long time, this was the highest partnership ever in ODIs, until it was broken by Gayle and Samuels.
318: This was the first ever occasion where a pair scored 300 or more runs in an innings together, and it came in India’s group game against Sri Lanka in the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup. Sourav Ganguly scored his career-best ODI score of 183, and he combined with Rahul Dravid to forge a staggering 318-run stand for the 2nd wicket to give India a dominant win.
290: The last of the 3 Indian pairs to feature here is that of legendary Virat Kohli and upcoming youngster Ishan Kishan, who both combined to score 290 at Chattogram in December 2022. Kishan scored a double century in this game, and this paved the way for this 4th best stand for the 2nd wicket. All 3 partnerships feature in the top partnerships for India in the ODI format.
273: Partnership between the New Zealand pair of Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The left-hander duo remained unbeaten during the Kiwis’ chase of 283 and they made 273 themselves. While Conway notched up his maiden 150 in ODIs, Ravindra scored a stunning 123* and helped them win the contest rather easily.
263: The runs scored by the Pakistani pair of former skipper Inzamam and Aamer Sohail in the ODI game against New Zealand at Sharjah back in 1994. Both of them scored centuries each, and it gave their total a huge score, eventually resulting in a Pakistan win.
260: Next up on the list is the legendary Aussie duo of David Warner and Steve Smith, who shared a stunning 260-run for the 2nd wicket in the 2015 World Cup clash against the up-and-coming Afghanistan team. David Warner made his best ODI score of 178 and paved the way for a massive Australia win.
Also Read | Top 10: Highest Individual Scores Against Afghanistan in ODI
257: Asian team scoring in South Africa was rare in the early part of the millennium, but the Pakistani pair of Saleem Elahi and Abdul Razzaq produced a stand for ages when they formed an alliance that lasted for 257 in Port Elizebeth in 2002. Both right-handers scored centuries each, as Pakistan won the match rather convincingly against the hosts.
252: When it comes to knockouts, Australia always brings their A-game to the fore, and this ICC Champions Trophy semi-final contest against England was no different. Chasing a target in such a high-pressure game is never easy, but the pair of Shane Watson and then skipper Ricky Ponting batted the opposition out of the contest with a stunning unbeaten 252-run stand for the 2nd wicket at Centurion. Eventually, they won the final as well and went on to lift the Champions Trophy.
250: The 10th best 2nd wicket stand happened between the English pair of Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott, who added 250 in an ODI game at Birmingham against the visiting Bangladesh side. Skipper Strauss made his first score of 150 or more in ODIs, and Trott got a century as England won the game by a huge margin.
